The Splintercast Reads Bands of Mourning, Episode 8: Chapters 19-21

Iyatil is descended from them, but grew up on the 'restaurant at the end of the Cosmere.' (So that's not the real name... Space station in the Cognitive realm is not as fun...) At least that was my understanding of it.

Glad you're back Feather!

Yep, sorry about the delay on this one. It was a combined effort in me being overwhelmed at work and then Eric forgetting to post after it was finished. So we both get to share the blame on the mini hiatus. 

I think we might move towards posting on Thursdays, just because it's much easier for me. Since we kind of got derailed from the schedule, that'll probably be the go-ahead from now through Secret History.

Yeah I also totally thought that Allik was a Hemalurgic construct at first too.  Like the Hemalurgic chimeras from the end of Shadows but that actually remembered what it was like to be human and stuff.  I totally started flashing back to Fullmetal Alchemist at this point ("Ed... ward...") and was like "Don't you do this to me Sanderson!  Don't you dare!".

The Final Empire was at the Magnetic North Pole, not the Geographic one, and was inhabitable because of the ferromagnetic ash.  Which actually led it to be colder there than at the Geographic North Pole.  The Southerners seem to have survived by adapting to the extreme heat, so what is nice and temperate for the Northerners is a frozen wasteland as far as they are concerned.  I still want to ask Brandon why Sazed didn't change their heat tolerances during the Catacendre...

I'd missed these. Glad you kept on going Totally can't wait for Secret History.

Yeah I also totally thought that Allik was a Hemalurgic construct at first too.  Like the Hemalurgic chimeras from the end of Shadows but that actually remembered what it was like to be human and stuff.  I totally started flashing back to Fullmetal Alchemist at this point ("Ed... ward...") and was like "Don't you do this to me Sanderson!  Don't you dare!".

 

The Final Empire was at the Magnetic North Pole, not the Geographic one, and was inhabitable because of the ferromagnetic ash.  Which actually led it to be colder there than at the Geographic North Pole.  The Southerners seem to have survived by adapting to the extreme heat, so what is nice and temperate for the Northerners is a frozen wasteland as far as they are concerned.  I still want to ask Brandon why Sazed didn't change their heat tolerances during the Catacendre...

Ohhh okay. So pre-Catacendre, the Southerners were living super hot. Now that things are "normal" they think it's freezing. I didn't put that together! That makes sense.

And yeah, considering the hints we get from Secret History I have a lot of questions about Saze and the Sovereign's relationship with the Southerners. There's a lot there we don't understand and I need more ammunition for my steadily growing mountain of salt.

I just reread the trilogy, and Sazed's perspective during his ascension did not reveal any knowledge of the Southerners. My guess is he just didn't notice until after his two intents had already forced him into inaction. At which point intermediaries become his best option and there just happened to be a certain someone intent on finding a way back... whom Saze likely REALLY wanted far from the North. Two birds with one stone?

On a side note, this was the chapter where I finally figured out who the Sovereign was. Alik's description gave it away. He talks about how the Sovereign told them NOT to look for the Bands, which CLEARLY was intended as a challenge. My first thought was, that sounds like... and everything fell into place.

Quote

When we left off, there was a crazy weird ship.

Marasi/Suit?